Basket



March 24, 1953 Y B. E. FINKBONE BASKET 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed Oct. 22.1949 INVENTOR. flurlfifihkbane. BY

Y M, M M

T 7' ORA/E KS March 24, 1953 B. EQFINKBONE BASKET 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 FiledOct. 22, 1949 INVENTbR. Burl l5 finkbane.

Fiji 6 a, a M7 M ATIL'OAIVEYS Patented Mar. 24, 1953 "i UNITED BASKETBurl E. Finkbone, Baltimore, Ohio, assignor to The Fairfield Paper andContainer Company, Baltimore, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio ApplicationOctober 22, 1949, Serial No. 123,006

My invention relates to abasket. It has to do, more particularly,,with.a basket made of fiberboard, paperboard, corrugated board or similarmaterial. -More specifically, it relates to a basket of. the type whichhas a handle to facilitate carrying thereof.

This general type of basket is used for bringing farm'products, such astomatoes, to the market, for displaying them, and for then carrying themto the-ultimate point of consumption by the person buying them.Obviously, it is desirable for this use and other uses to provide abasket or container which'has a handle that can be adjusted from aninoperative position where it is completely. out of the way,,so astopermit stacking, of they empty or full baskets, to an extended positionwhere'it can be used for carrying the basket and its contents.Furthermore, it is desirable that sucha basket be supplied in knock-downcondition, to facilitate shipping groups of them from the supplier, andthat it be of such a design and construction that it can be set upreadily. Attempts have been made in the prior art to provide such abasket but difficulty has been encountered in providing a suitablehandle structure, espeoiallyinsofar as its attachment to the body of thecontainer is concerned.

Itis the main object of my invention to provide a basket of the generaltype indicated formed of. fiberboard, paperboard or similar materialwhich includes acontainer orbody having a handle of similar materialsecured thereto in a novel and efficient manner so that it can beadjusted quickly and easily, without jamming from an inoperativeposition, where it will not interfere with stacking of the containers,to an operative posi tion; where it is extended and can be used readilyto carry the basket.

Another object of my invention is to provide a basket of the typeindicated which is suppliedin knock-down condition to the user but canbe set upieasily with the handle attached without injury to the handleor body of the basket.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a basket of the typeindicated wherein the handle is sturdy and is attached to the body ofthe container by sturdy means so that the handle structure can amplysupport the contents of he container.

Various other objects will be apparent.

. The preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing wherein similar characters of reference designatecorresponding parts and wherein:

; ;F lgure vlisia perspective view of a basket' made I tration,

3 Claims. (01. 229-52? according to my invention showing it set up readyforuse.. l

Figure 2 is a similar view of the blank cut away and not completely setup for purpose of illus- Figure 3 is a. transverse sectionalview takenalong line 33 of Figure 2 but showing the handle in inoperativeposition. I 9 I Figure 4 is an enlarged detail, illustrating diagrammatically how the handle is positioned during setting up of thecontainer. 1 Figure '5 is a perspective view showing the body blankbeing folded to set it up.

. Figure 6 is a plan view of the body blan I Figure .7 is a plan view ofthe handle blank.

With reference to the drawings, in Figure 1,

I have illustrated my basket after it has been set up. The basketcomprises a container or body In and a bail handle II which is attachedto the body for vertical movement so that it can be moved from aninoperative position, closeto the top edge of the body, as shown by thedotted lines in Figure 1, to an operative position, where his extendedupwardly from the body as. shown by the full linesin Figure 1, and canbe used for carrying the body.

The body or container I0 is formed from a fiat blank of paperboard,fiberboard, corrugated board or similar material, indicated by thenumeral Ifla in Figure 6. This blank is cut and scored to form thebottom 12 having the. attached side walls I3 and end walls I4 which areadapted to be swung upwardly into upstanding relationship relativeto thebottom.

The edge of each side wall I3 is provided with a pair of locking flapsI5 extending outwardly therefrom and. attached thereto along the hingejoints I6 formed by spaced parallel foldlines'. These lockin flaps l5together extend the full length of the side walls l3, being separatedonly by a narrow slit IT. The slit I'I extends outwardly from ahandle-receiving opening I'8 formed at the hinge joints. It will benoted that the corner of each flap I5 adjacent the opening I8 is beveledor cut off as indicated at 19. Each of the locking flaps I5 is providedwith a locking tab 20 on its outer edge which is adapted to fit into acooperating slot 2I formed in the bottom I2 at the score line 22 wherethe side wall I3 is joined to the bottom. It will be understood that thelocking flaps I5 are of the same depth as the side walls I3. Each endwall I4 is joined to the bottom I2 along a score line 24. The end ofeach of these end walls I4 is provided with a guide flap 25 which isjoined thereto along a score linelfi. It

will be noted that each flap 25 is separated from the side wall I3 andadjacent locking fiap|5 by a slot 21. Each of the flaps 25 is of a depthcorresponding substantially to that of the side wall l3 and of a lengthless than one-half of that of the side wall for a purpose which will beapparent hereinaften.

The handle blank Ila used 'in forming the handle H is illustrated inFigure 7. This blank is of material similar to the body blank IOa. Itincludes a central gripping section 30 which is relatively narrow andwhich has integral guide and attaching portions 3| formed on its ends.These portions 3| are of substantially square outline. Transverse scorelines 32 are provided in the central portion 30 to facilitate bending atthese points, these score lines being spaced apart a distance equal tothe width of the bottom I2 or blank Illa, that is, a. distance equal tothe spacing of the score lines '22 of the blank ma. When the basket isshipped from the manufacturer to the user, both the body blank andhandle blank will be in flat form, as indicated in Figures 6 and '7.Thus, shipping will be greatly facilitated.

When the basket is to be set up, the body blank Illa is folded in themanner illustrated in Figure 5. The handle blank Ha is folded along thelines 32. In folding the body blank, the side walls l3 and the endwallsM are. brought into upstanding position. The guide flaps 25 on each endwall ld are folded towards each other as the end wall is swung upwardlyand such guide flaps are swung inwardly over the bottom l2, as the endwall is swung upwardly, until they are positioned along the innersides-of the side walls I3. At this time, the locking flaps I5 will notyet be swung downwardly into final position. Since each of the guideflaps 25 is less than one-half the length of the side wall |3, it willbe apparent that the inner edges 33 of the guide flaps will be spacedfrom each other and will produce a vertically disposed guide channel 34at each of the sidewalls: The flaps 25 will be of such length that thischannel will be of proper width to snugly receive the guide portions 3|of the handle so that the edges 33 of the flaps will serve as verticalguide edges which will cooperate with the vertical guide edges 35 formedon the handle.

In positioning the handle Ila on the basket, the two flaps I5 at one endof the body and on opposite'side walls are folded downwardly into finalposition and are locked in position by their tabs 20 and cooperatingopenings 2|. This will also look in place the two cooperating guideflaps 25 at that end. With the other two locking flaps l5 stillextending upwardly out of the body, the handle Ha is positioned on thebody by inserting the guide portions 3| thereof in the two guidechannels 34 at the upper ends thereof. Then, as shown by full lines inFigure 4, the portions -3| are swung laterally out of the guide channels34 between the vertically disposed guide flaps 25 and side wall l3 atthe end where the flaps l5 are not yet folded down into final position.The openings I8 are of suilicient length to permit the necessary lateralswinging of the upstanding parts of the handle. In this laterally tiltedposition of the handle, it is now possible to swing 'down the remainingtwo locking flaps I5, the cut off corners IQ of such flaps permittingswinging the flaps intofinal position without interference with theupstanding parts of the handle and without damaging or tearing the flapsor handle. Before these two locking flaps I5 are 4 locked in position bythe tabs 20 and openings 2|, the portions 3| of the handle are movedinto the guide channels 34, as indicated by the dotted line position inFigure 4. Thereafter, the portions 3| will merely move vertically in theguide channels 34 and will be prevented from cocking therein. The edges35 of portions 3| will contact and cooperate with the edges 33 of theguide channels and portions 3| cannot move between flaps 25 and sidewalls l3 because locked flaps I5 hold flaps 25 tightly against sidewalls l3.

Portions 3| are wider than openings l8 so that shoulders 36 on the upperedges thereof contact the lower sides of hinge joints l6 adjacent theends of the openings whenever the handle is pulled upwardly.

If the baskets are to be shipped in set up condition, the handles II aremoved downwardly to inoperative position to permit stacking. When thebaskets are to be filled, the handles |l may be pulled upwardly out ofthe way. After the baskets are filled, the handles may be used to placethe baskets in a truck or other vehicle in stacked condition, it beingunderstood that as each basket is positioned in a stack, the handle isforced downwardly to be out of the way of the next basket to be piledthereon. At the market or the display point, the baskets may be used todisplay the contents and when a customer makes a purchase of a basketfulof the displayed commodity, he may pull the handle upwardly and then useit to carry the basket and its contents. It will be apparent from theabove description that I have provided a basket made of paperboard,fiberboard, corrugated board or similar material having many advantages.A number of these advantages have been discussed and others will beapparent.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A basket of the type described comprising a body formed from a blankof paperboard or similar material cut and scored to form a bottom withattached upstanding side and end walls, each of said side Walls havingattached to its upper edge a pair of locking flaps which are foldeddownwardly and inwardly along such side wall, the inner edges of saidflaps being closely adjacent with a narrow slit therebetween and ahandle-receiving opening being formed at the upper end of said slit atthe fold line of the flaps and side wall, each of the end walls havingguide flaps on each end thereof which are folded and swung inwardlyalong the side walls before the locking flaps are folded downwardly andinwardly as indicated, said guide flaps being of a height substantiallythe same as said side walls and being of such length that when the guideflaps of opposite end walls are positioned as indicated the opposedguide flaps will be spaced apart in parallel relationship so that theirstraight inner edges are vertically disposed and form a vertical guidechannel at each upstanding side wall behind said locking flaps, a bailhandle formed from a blank of paperboard or similar material cut andscored to form a central gripping section and guide and attachingportions at each end thereof, said central gripping section of thehandle extending upwardly through the handle-receiving openings at theside walls, said guide portions being of greater width than saidhandle-receiving openings so as not to pull. upwardly therethrough andhaving straight vertically disposed parallel side edges fitting snuglyin said vertical guide channels so that the inner straight verticaledges of said guide flaps serve to guide vertical movement of the handleguide portions by cooperating with the straight side edges thereof andprevent cocking of the handle during vertical movement thereof, saidguide portions having their inner faces covered by said locking flapswhich extend inwardly over said channel.

2. A basket of the type set forth in claim 1 wherein the corner of eachlocking flap at said handle-receiving opening is removed to facilitatesetting up of the basket.

3. A basket according to claim 2 wherein each of the locking flapsextends into contact with said bottom and has a downwardly extending 15looking tab fitting into a slot formed in said bottom.

BURL E. FINKBONE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 584,044 Little June 8, 18971,860,349 Larkin May 31, 1932 2,036,645 Schell Apr. '7, 1936 2,039,971Meinhardt May 5, 1936 2,086,209 Brooks July 6, 1937 2,354,867 LarkinAug. 1, 1944 2,468,951 Barter May 3, 1949

